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United States Patent |
5,657,945
|
Bryant
|
August 19, 1997
|
Powerized unroller
Abstract
A powerized apparatus utilized in handling and unrolling large rolls of
fabric, on the order of 600 pounds has pneumatically controlled air
cylinders to raise and lower a loading door for proper loading of large
fabric rolls. Dual air actuators are connected to two pinch rollers to
pull fabric up and away from the large fabric roll. Within the containment
bin are a plurality of rollers which allow the large fabric roll to spin
within the containment bin, two of said rollers powerized to turn the
fabric roll. When activated, the apparatus not only rotates the large
fabric roll but also pulls the material through the pinch rollers at a
high rate of speed, up to about 310 yards/minute. The containment bin also
has an adapting unit for placement of smaller 50 pound fabric rolls within
the containment bin.
Inventors:
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Bryant; Tim L. (Campbellsville, KY)
|
Assignee:
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Union Underwear Company, Inc. (Bowling Green, KY)
|
Appl. No.:
|
596509 |
Filed:
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February 5, 1996 |
Current U.S. Class: |
242/563; 242/564.4; 242/564.5; 242/595.1 |
Intern'l Class: |
B65H 016/08; B65H 016/10 |
Field of Search: |
242/563,564.4,564.5,595.1
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
2220230 | Apr., 1940 | Gilbert.
| |
2746511 | May., 1956 | Branthoover | 242/564.
|
2757880 | Aug., 1956 | De La Motte | 242/564.
|
3334838 | Aug., 1967 | Kopp | 242/564.
|
3861610 | Jan., 1975 | Landis et al. | 242/564.
|
4096907 | Jun., 1978 | Krall et al. | 226/186.
|
4738407 | Apr., 1988 | Arrant | 242/564.
|
5195690 | Mar., 1993 | Cross.
| |
5211036 | May., 1993 | Engelfried.
| |
5472153 | Dec., 1995 | Crowley et al. | 242/564.
|
Foreign Patent Documents |
62-185661 | Aug., 1987 | JP | 242/564.
|
Primary Examiner: Jillions; John M.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Middleton & Reutlinger, Salazar; John F.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A powerized unroller for unrolling fabric rolls, comprising:
a containment bin having and a first and second drive roller within said
containment bin and in parallel relation with each other, said containment
bin having a loading door providing access to said containment bin, and a
plurality of free spinning support rollers in parallel relation to said
drive rollers and located said loading door;
first and second side support members extending upwardly from said
containment bin;
first and second pinch rollers extending transversely between said first
and said second side support member, said pinch rollers being in parallel
relation;
means to rotate said first pinch roller; and,
means to rotate said at least one drive roller.
2. The powerized unroller of claim 1 further comprising at least one
proximity sensor for detecting the presence of fabric unrolling from said
powerized unroller, said sensor disposed between said bin and said pinch
rollers.
3. The powerized unroller of claim 1 further comprising a first and a
second air cylinder attached at one end to said containment bin and at the
opposite end to said loading door for raising and lowering said loading
door.
4. The powerized unroller of claim 1 further comprising a first air
actuator attached at an uppermost end of said first side support member
and a second air actuator attached at an uppermost end of said second side
support member, said first and second air actuator reciprocally connected
to said second pinch roller.
5. The powerized unroller of claim 1 wherein said first pinch roller has a
rubber material coated thereon.
6. The powerized unroller of claim 1 wherein said drive roller and said
pinch rollers are about 5 inches in diameter.
7. The powerized unroller of claim 1 wherein said plurality of support
rollers are about 3 inches in diameter.
8. A high speed fabric unrolling apparatus, comprising:
a containment bin for receiving a fabric roll;
a loading door hingedly connected to said containment bin, wherein said
loading door has a first and a second free spinning support roller located
thereon;
a first and a second drive roller located within said containment bin for
rotating said fabric roll;
a first and second side support member extending vertically from said
containment bin;
a first and a second pinch roller extending transversely between said first
and second side support member; and,
a drive motor operably connected to said first pinch roller.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said containment bin including a first
and a second side wall and a rear wall.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said containment bin further comprises
a plurality of free spinning support rollers.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said loading door has a first and a
second air cylinder attached thereto for raising and lowering said door.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 including a first and a second air actuator
attached at opposite ends of said second pinch roller.
13. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising at least one light emitting
source and at least one proximity sensor for detecting the presence of
fabric loaded in said apparatus.
14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said first and second drive roller are
operably connected to a drive motor.
15. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said first pinch roller is coated with
a rubber material.
16. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for deactivating said
first and said second drive roller and said drive motor when fabric is not
detected between said first and second pinch roller.
17. An apparatus for loading and rapid unrolling of a large capacity fabric
roll, comprising:
a containment bin having a front loading door, a first and second side
wall, a rear wall and a base, said front loading door hingedly connected
to said base;
a first and second air cylinder connected to said loading door for raising
and lowering said door;
a first and a second drive roller located within said containment bin and
supporting said fabric roll;
a first motor drive attached to said containment bin and operably connected
to said first and said second drive roller;
a first and a second side support member extending vertically from said
containment bin;
a first and a second pinch roller, said pinch rollers connected at one
distal end to said first side support member and at the opposite distal
end to said second side support member;
a second drive motor operably connected to said first pinch roller; and,
means for raising and lowering said second pinch roller.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said means for raising and lowering
said second pinch roller further comprise a first air actuator attached to
said first side support member, said first air actuator having a cylinder
extending downward through said first side support member and attached to
said second pinch roller at a one distal end and a second air actuator
attached to said second side support member, said second air actuator
having a cylinder extending downward through said second side support
member and attached to said second pinch roller at an opposite distal end.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said one distal end and said opposite
distal end of said second pinch roller have a bearing and slide block
attached thereon for sliding vertically within said first and said second
side support members.
20. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said containment bin further
comprises a first and a second free spinning support roller adjacent to
said rear wall of said containment bin.
21. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said loading door has a first and a
second free spinning roller support located thereon.
22. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising an proximity sensor
operably connected to said first motor drive and said second motor drive
for disengaging said first motor drive and said second motor drive when
fabric is not detected in said apparatus.
23. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a plurality of light
emitting sources located between said first and second side support
members.
24. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said first pinch roller is coated
with a rubberized material.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fabric handling machinery and particularly
to machinery which unrolls large rolls of fabric at a high rate of speed.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
When manufacturing fabric, typically a circular needle cylinder is utilized
to create a roll of tubular fabric which is collected around a central
spindle. The tubular fabric roll created typically has been on the order
of about 50 pounds of material. The light weight of these relatively small
tubular fabric rolls has not created handling problems when further
processing of the fabric rolls is required. However, new circular knitting
machinery can now create tubular fabric rolls which are much larger than
the previously small 50 pound rolls. These new machines can create tubular
fabric rolls that can weigh as much as 600 to 800 pounds. Handling of
these larger rolls of fabric becomes a much more difficult task.
Specifically, the rolls, after knitting, must be unraveled as the tubular
fabric is fed into the next processing step, generally bleaching and
dyeing.
Machines which are currently used for unrolling the smaller 50 pound rolls
of fabric are comprised of a simple cradle having free spinning rollers
contained therein for easy rotation of a small fabric roll placed within
said cradle. This method of unrolling material into the bleach and dye
process is not appropriate for larger rolls, nor will it allow the fabric
to be spun off of the storage roll at a high rate of speed required in
order to reduce the processing time of the material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to handle and unroll
large rolls of tubular fabric at a high rate of speed. It is a further
object of the present invention to safely handle large rolls of tubular
fabric and provide an adequate power source for the large roll to be
unraveled in a controlled operation. It is an even further object of the
present invention to provide a powerized unroller for large rolls of
tubular fabric which retains the large roll in a containment bin and not
only turns the roll of fabric itself but also pulls the unraveled fabric
from the roll. Also, it is an object of the present invention to adapt the
unroller to both large and small rolls of fabric.
With these objectives in mind, the present invention is for an apparatus
for receiving an oversized tubular fabric roll in a containment bin and
unraveling said fabric roll at a high rate of speed. The high speed
unraveling apparatus provides a containment bin for receiving a large roll
of fabric, said containment bin having a plurality of support rollers
which rests directly against the roll placed therein. The lower two
rollers within the containment bin are rotated by an independent drive
which in turn spins the roll of material resting thereon. The fabric is
also fed through a first and a second pinch roller which receives the
unwound fabric therebetween. The pinch rollers, which are also driven by a
separate drive source, are pneumatically compressed against the fabric
which is fed therebetween. The material is then drawn from the roll at a
high rate of speed and fed to the next processing step, typically the
bleaching and dyeing.
More particularly, the present invention comprises a powerized unroller for
unrolling fabric rolls, comprising: a containment bin having a plurality
of support rollers and at least one drive roller located therein; a
loading door providing access to said containment bin; a first and second
side support member extending upwardly from said containment bin; a first
and second pinch roller extending between said first and said second side
support member and in parallel relation with each other; at least one
proximity sensor for detecting the presence of fabric unrolling from said
powerized unroller; means to rotate said first pinch roller; and, means to
rotate said at least one drive roller.
Other advantages of this invention will appear to those skilled in the art
upon reading the following description and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of the invention will be had upon reference to the
following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which like numerals refer to like parts and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side view of the power unroller of one preferred embodiment of
the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the power unroller of FIG. 1 with the drive
rollers and pinch rollers exposed;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the power unroller of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the power unroller of FIG. 1 showing the
containment bin door open;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the power unroller of FIG. 1 showing the interior
of the containment bin;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an adapting unit which is installed in the
containment bin of the power unroller;
FIG. 7 is a side view of the power unroller of FIG. 1 with the adapting
unit installed in the containment bin and exposing support rollers; and,
FIG. 8 is top view of the power unroller of FIG. 7 with the adapting unit
installed in the containment bin.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 wherein a powerized unroller 10 of the
present invention is shown. Power unroller 10 is comprised of loading door
14 which provides access to fabric roll containment bin 12 and allows
large rolls of fabric 11 to be properly loaded within said containment bin
12. Containment bin 12 is formed by loading door 14, two side walls, only
side wall 101 being shown, rear wall 105 and base 108.
As shown in FIG. 2, inside containment bin 12 is placed a large roll of
tubular or other fabric 11. Within containment bin 12 is provided support
rollers 51, 52, 53, 54, 55 and 56 upon which large fabric roll 11 rests.
These support rollers allow fabric roll 11 to freely spin within
containment bin 12 and also rotate fabric roll 11 when unroller apparatus
10 is activated. Each support roller is preferably made of stainless steel
and has large size bearings at each end to support the high weights
associated with fabric rolls 11. Lower drive rollers 51 and 52 are
somewhat larger in diameter than support rollers 53, 54, 55 and 56.
Rollers 51 and 52 are generally about 5 inches in diameter while support
rollers 53, 54, 55 and 56 are only about 3 inches in diameter. Drive
rollers 51 and 52 are rotated by sprocket assembly 22 and 24 shown in FIG.
1 which allows a single drive source or motor 19 to turn fabric roll 11
located in containment bin 12. Drive rollers 51 and 52 rotate to turn the
large roll of fabric located within containment bin 12. Smaller support
rollers 53, 54, 55 and 56 are free spinning and keep roll 11 spinning
easily within bin 12 while powerized drive rollers 51 and 52 are rotated.
Fabric roll 11 is supported entirely by the plurality of rollers within
the containment bin 12 and turns freely thereon.
As best shown in FIG. 2, when unrolling, fabric stream 11aunwinds from the
roll 11, enters through pinch rollers 27 and 28 and is spun into storage
bin 110. Drive rollers 51 and 52 located within containment bin 12 are
powered to turn fabric roll 11 while pinch roller 28 is also powered to
pull fabric through dual pinch rollers 27 and 28 and thereby unroll fabric
roll 11 at a high rate of speed for entry into the bleach and dye
facility.
Containment bin loading door 14 hinges about connecting hinge 15 and has
free spin support rollers 55 and 56 attached thereto. Loading door 14 is
operable in response to air cylinder 17 and 18 which are positioned on
opposite sides of bin 12, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 5. The air cylinders
17 and 18 are pneumatically controlled by compressed air. Each air
cylinder is rated at a lifting capacity of about 300 pounds bringing the
total lifting capacity of loading door 14 to about 600 pounds. Loading
door 14 is secured in the closed position by the co-operating relation of
spring loaded J-hook 16 and latch clips 16a which are located on both
outer walls 101 and 102 of containment bin 12.
Drive rollers 51 and 52 located within containment bin 12 are rotated by
sprockets 22 and 23 which in turn are driven by drive sprocket 20. Drive
sprocket 20, which is exemplified as being 5.5 inches in diameter is
turned by the drive shaft of motor 19 which is a standard 2 HP motor.
Chain 21 is provided to in turn rotate interior sprocket 24a and outer
sprocket 24 attached to the center shaft of drive roller 51. Mid-outer
sprocket 24 in turn drives sprocket 22 via chain 23, sprocket 22 being
attached to the center shaft of drive roller 52. Motor 19 provides enough
power to smoothly turn a large capacity fabric roll 11 which may weigh up
to 600 pounds. The drive rollers cause the roll of fabric 11 to spin at an
unravelling speed of up to about 310 Yards per Minute.
In FIG. 5, the internals of containment bin 12 are shown. Support rollers
51, 52, 53, 54, 55 and 56 are shown as well as loading door 14 and spring
loaded latch 16. Sprocket 20 is shown in driving relation with drive motor
19. Drive roller 51 is attached to drive sprocket 24 and 24a, sprocket 24
turning adjacent drive roller 52. Chains 21 and 23 connect each of the
drive sprockets together so the drive rollers 51 and 52 cooperatively
drive chains 21 and 23. Both air cylinders 17 and 18 are also shown which
raise and lower loading door 14 with a combined lifting capacity of about
600 pounds.
As shown in FIG. 4, loading door 14 is fully opened after air cylinders 17
and 18 have been pneumatically activated and air cylinder piston 57 fully
extended outside of air cylinder 18. In order to properly load fabric roll
11 into containment bin 12, loading door 14 is opened and fabric roll 11
is placed upon support rollers 55 and 56. Air cylinders 17 and 18 pivot
about connecting points 58 and 58a located on side walls 101 and 102 so
that, as door 14 is lowered, alignment of air cylinders 17 and 18 and air
cylinder piston 57 may adjust accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4. Connecting
mounting brackets 58 and 58a swivel on side walls 101 and 102 so that air
cylinders 17 and 18 may rotate about the brackets 58 and 58a. Thus, air
cylinders 17 and 18 must therefore have the ability to rotate about
connecting points 58 and 58a to allow for such slight change in angle. The
air cylinders have mounts which accept a fixed pin which are in turn fixed
to side wall brackets. Air cylinder piston 57 fully extends in order to
place door 14 in horizontal alignment. A fabric roll 11 may be placed atop
door 14 on support rollers 55 and 56 and air cylinders 17 and 18 activated
to raise door 14 thereby causing roll 11 to fully enter into containment
bin 12. Air cylinder piston 57 retracts into the air cylinder thereby
closing the door and placing the roll 11 into the containment bin 12.
As shown in FIG. 1 and 3, vertical side support members 103 and 104 form an
area between which fabric stream 11a passes through. Pinch rollers 27 and
28 are shown as being approximately 5 inches in diameter and 40 inches
long and are generally made of stainless steel. The surface of each of the
pinch rollers are such that one roller is smooth stainless steel and the
other roller is coated with a rubberized material. Fabric stream 11a
travels between side support members 103 and 104, between compression
pinch rollers 27 and 28 and into a storage bin 110. The center shaft 27a
of pinch roller 27 is connected to air actuators 32 and 34 via piston
cylinder 33, as shown in FIG. 1. Pinch roller 27 has at each distal end
bearing and slide blocks 35 and 36 which move vertically within channels
formed in side support members 103 and 104. Air actuators 32 and 34 have,
for example, a poundage rating of around 100 pounds and are readily
commercially available. Air actuators 32 and 34 compress pinch roller 27
against roller 28 so that fabric stream 11a is securely held therebetween.
Air actuators 32 and 34 reciprocally actuate pinch roller 27 so roller 27
may raise and lower as powerized unroller 10 is activated. Pinch roller 28
is connected at one end to sprocket 26 which is driven by belt or chain 29
attached to drive sprocket 45. Motor 46 has a drive shaft attached to
sprocket 45 which causes pinch roller 28 to rotate at about, for example,
310 Yards per Minute. Upper pinch rollers 27 and 28 spin at a slightly
higher rate of speed than lower drive rollers 51 and 52 because the fabric
stream must have the proper amount of tension or backlashing of the fabric
will occur. Drive sprocket 26 is larger in diameter than lower drive
sprocket 20 in order to keep fabric stream 11a correctly aligned between
pinch rollers 27 and 28.
During normal operation, air actuators 32 and 34 keep roller 27 retracted
providing an opening between rollers 27 and 28. Upon activation of machine
10 when fabric is located between pinch rollers 27 and 28 and a fabric
roll 11 is placed within containment bin 12, actuators 32 and 34 are
pneumatically activated causing roller 27 to lower and come into contact
with roller 28 thereby compressing fabric stream 11a therebetween. When
actual unrolling of material fabric roll 11 is occurring, motor 46 causes
roller 28 to rotate. Material 11 is then not only unrolled from the fabric
roll within containment bin 12 but is also pulled through pinch roller 27
and 28 so that high speed unrolling of the material occurs at about 310
yards/minute.
As shown in FIG. 3, located between side support members 103 and 104 are
proximity sensors 44 and 47 used to determine if fabric is located within
15 inches in front of either detector 44 and 47 thereby allowing the
machine 10 to run full speed. Proximity sensors or motion detectors 44 and
47 are of the type such as MPD4 Light Diffuser Sensor manufactured by
Microswitch Inc. and sense the presence of a fabric stream 11a being
pulled in front of the sensors and through pinch rollers 27 and 28 and
enables the continued rotation of motors 19 and 46. When proximity sensors
44 and 47 do not detect the presence of fabric stream 11a, motors 19 and
46 are shut down and air actuators 32 and 34 activated in order to
separate pinch rollers 27 and 28. This automates the unrolling process so
the machine 10 may automatically unroll large fabric rolls and shut itself
down when completed.
Shown in FIG. 2, lights 41, 42 and 43 are provided in order to give the
operator ample light source to inspect material stream 11a passing through
pinch rollers 27 and 28. Upon activation of lights 41, 42 and 43, the
apparatus 10 enters inspection mode slowing the speed of fabric stream
down from 310yards per minute to only 50 yards per minute. Lights 41, 42
and 43 are thus actuated with motors 19 and 46 to work in combination to
provide a means for the operator to inspect the fabric stream 11a while
apparatus 10 is unrolling fabric roll 11 at a slower rate of speed.
Located between sensors 44 and 47 and lights 41, 42, 43 and fabric stream
11a is plexiglass 40 which prevents dust and other undesirable material
from covering the proximity sensors and lights while also protecting the
bulbs from other safety hazards.
Referring now to FIG. 3, electrical control box 62 houses the control
mechanism for power unrolling machine 10. Air regulators 63 and 64 are
provided to control the passage of air to air actuators 32 and 34 and air
cylinders 17 and 18. Air regulator 63 controls flow of air to upper air
cylinders 32 and 34, independently. Electrical switching (not shown)
within switch box 60, are in actuating relation with air cylinders 17, 18
whereby upon activating air cylinders 17 and 18, door 14 is opened or
closed. In a door open condition, a large fabric roll 11 may be placed
upon door 14. De-energizing the air cylinders 17 and 18 closes door 14
causing roll 11 to enter the containment bin 12 of machine 10. When roll
11 enters bin 12, rollers 27 and 28 are separated in an inactive position
allowing the operator to place the loose end of the roll of fabric 11
through pinch rollers 27 and 28. Air actuators 32 and 34 are provided to
force roller 27 downward compressing the fabric 11 between rollers 27 and
28. Rollers 51 and 52 are operable in response to motors 19 and 46.
Activation of rollers 51 and 52 turns fabric roll 11 and in turn pulls
fabric through pinch rollers 27 and 28 causing the high speed unrolling of
fabric roll 11 at speeds of about 310yards/min.
Turning now to FIG. 6, adapting unit 80 is shown which enables power
unrolling machine 10 to unravel a smaller fabric roll 90 which is on the
order of about 50 pounds. Adapting unit 80 is provided with front lip 81
and rear hooks 85 and 86 so that the unit may be securely placed within
containment bin 12 of unroller 10. Front lip 81 is engageable over the top
of loading door 14 and rear hooks 85 and 86 overlap the top of containment
bin rear wall 105 securely placing adapting unit 80 within bin 12, as
shown in FIG. 7. Rectangular eyelet inserts 82 and 83 are provided for aid
in removal of the adapting unit 80 from containment bin 12 or for
insertion of the unit 80 into bin 12. Eyelets 82 and 83 are formed upon
side support runners 89a and 89b which connects front lip 81 with rear
support runner 89c. Cradle supports 112 and 113 provide a cavity within
which a plurality of free spinning support rollers, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96
and 97 are placed. Extending between cradle supports 112 and 113 are
rectangular side walls 87 and 88. Side walls 87 and 88 allow the distal
ends of smaller fabric roll 90 (FIG. 7) to rotate about a smooth surface
by providing a flat planar surface 88, 87 which abuts directly against the
ends of roll 90. Support rollers 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96 and 97 are
provided to allow fabric roll 90 to spin freely within adapting unit 80.
In operation, fabric of roll 90 is first wrapped around roller 97 then
between pinch rollers 27 and 28 so that adequate tension will be kept on
the fabric itself while the unrolling occurs. Drive rollers 51 and 52
within containment bin 12 spin freely while adapting unit 80 is in place.
Front loading door 14 may not be opened while adapting unit 80 and front
lip member 81 are inserted in the containment bin. Unrolling of fabric
roll 90 may occur at a high rate of speed, around 310 yds/min.
The foregoing detailed description is given primarily for clearness of
understanding and no unnecessary limitations are to be understood
therefrom for modifications will become obvious to those skilled in the
art upon reading this disclosure and may be made without departing from
the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.
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